


Iron Fugitive

by guineamania



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 10:45:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4916539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineamania/pseuds/guineamania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if they had been unable to stop Ultron, now the earth blames Tony Stark for all their woes. The Avengers stand by his side, especially one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Iron Fugitive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Impala_Chick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/gifts).



> So this was supposed to be much longer but I ran out of time. However it may be continued later once I am a little less busy.  
> Anyway I hope you enjoy!

Human life was decimated, and the Avengers were to blame. Well that was what the public had decided anyway. Actually, one man was to blame. Anthony Stark, creator of Ultron. The Avengers did the best they could to stop the destruction but there was nothing they could do. They were too late and the vibranium bomb smashed into the ground. But not everyone died, there was something to take from that. It had been a month and the remnants of the human race were climbing out of the woodwork to survey the damage. So they did what humans do best, blame someone. The Avengers were on the run.

 

“I cannot believe SHIELD sold us out!” Natasha exclaimed for the fifth time that hour. All of the Avengers had somehow managed to escape the destruction. Tony kept on muttering something about the eye of the storm as an explanation for this event. But the last remaining high ranking officals in SHIELD had turned on them as soon as they were discovered to be alive. It was publicly stated that the Avengers were to blame and SHIELD would be aiding the effort to bring them to justice. This meant that all associates of the Avengers were in danger, their traveling group was ever growing. Thor had disappeared mid battle. They all hoped he had gone to Asgard but there was no way to know for sure. First they had commandeered a quinjet and flown to check on Clint’s family. All phone networks had been taken out in the collision and all the cities looked like wastelands. It was a truly sobering experience to fly over the ruins. Tony had been uncharacteristically quiet for the whole flight; there was no arguments as to his guilt. Bruce was missing and anyway Tony was the one who had created the monster who did all of this; Bruce only aided reluctantly. He shouldn’t have thought he had escaped the curse of the Starks. Destruction was in their genes, running from it just made it worse. Silent tears cascaded down Clint’s face as they took in the wreckage of the farmhouse. It was not recognisable as a house anymore; it was simply a pile of rubble. They still landed for Clint to pay his respects. Natasha silently linked her hand with his as the duo stepped off the quinjet. It was their moment, the remaining Avengers sat in silence. There were no words that could make this better.

 

“Daddy!” Clint spun round without a moment of hesitation. Lila was running towards him with Laura and Cooper in tow. His jaw dropped and it looked as if he was frozen in place. Clint snapped back to the world of the living just in time to catch his daughter and hug her tightly to his chest. Tears continued their descent down his cheeks as Cooper and Laura wrapped themselves around him. He had been certain they were dead; as soon as he saw the remnants of the house, he just felt it.

“We need to leave. They’ll be coming here soon,” Natasha whispered, it was clear in her voice that she hated to break up this reunion.

“You need to come with us, the Avengers are fugitives,” Clint explained softly but he could see the resignation in Laura’s body. They had nothing left here anyway. Steve had an old safe house in Germany, it was actually an old HYDRA factory that had been the base of the Howling Commandos during their prime. Peggy had somehow kept it off SHIELD’s books. The problem was getting over the ocean and across borders. The Quinjet did not have enough fuel, they were going to have to find some more or find a boat.

 

Within minutes, Laura and the kids were loaded up in the quinjet and they were in the sky once more. That was their first objective; they could not leave behind anyone they cared about. In the chaos it would be easy for someone to use their loved ones to lure them back to the states. Natasha had all the people she cared about on the jet; apart from Bruce, but he was in the wind. Steve had received the call that Peggy had died in the blast; Sharon was on her way to meet them. Bucky was the only other person he want to check up on. But the Winter Soldier was nowhere to be seen. Tony knew Pepper was in London, he had managed to get a message through some of his offline systems and she was also heading to meet them. The next some was for Rhodey, his wife and daughter lived in Maine. He prayed for the same reunion Clint had experienced. That would be the final stop, it was depressing how few loved ones the splintered Avengers had to save.

 

“Guys we have a situation,” Natasha called from the front of the jet. Two fighter jet had pulled up alongside their plane. Clint cursed while the Avengers made sure that all the children were strapped in.

“We don’t have enough fuel to outrun them and I presume they will be more than happy to shoot us down,” Sam added reluctantly.

“We need to surrender, I need to surrender,” Tony muttered, speaking for the first time in hours. His usually immaculate hair and clothes were in disarray and bags had formed under his dull eyes. The guilt was crippling and Steve hated to see him this way. But the American’s heart was conflicted; he cared about Tony a lot and hated to see his friend in such a state. But yet, Tony was responsible for all this destruction. Tony was responsible for Peggy’s death.

“Sam, Rhodey, Vision, Wanda, I need you to carry the civilians away to safety. Fly as far as you can before landing, stay together and stay safe,” Steve dropped back into commander mode, his descision had been made. “Natasha, can you make it look like we are trying to evade capture. I need you to distract them long enough so the rest can get away.” Tony looked up and into Steve’s eyes, causing his breathing to hitch once again. He was really doing this, it would be easy to just hand Tony over. And that was what Tony wanted, but Steve was the leader of the Avengers. He would never leave Tony to face this alone.

“Clint, take the Iron Man suit,” Tony sighed, resigned to his fate but still trying to work out Steve’s motives. “When we are landing, take Natasha and get away undetected.” It was clear to see the moment their plans clicked in his mind. But Clint didn’t argue, he just nodded out of respect. They were doing this to save the team and their families.

 

Natasha jolted into action to try and earn the team as much time as she could. Steve slumped down into the chair next to Tony. “You don’t have to do this you know. You could escape with them and leave me to my fate,” he muttered.

“I can’t let you face it alone,” Steve replied, turning to face Tony.

“Why? Why can’t you Mr Rightous?” Tony explained, but his arguments were silenced by Steve’s lips pressing against his own. After a few seconds of shock, the faintest hint of a smile formed at the corner of Tony’s mouth and he pressed into the kiss as a confirmation. That was all the answer he needed.

 

Natasha had set the quinjet to land before jetting off with Clint in the distraction. “So it’s just the two of us then,” Tony sighed, breaking through the silence.

“It is,” Steve replied with a shaky smile.

“It was nice to know you feel the same before we die,” Tony added as the ramp began to rise.

“We don’t know that we will die,” was all that Steve could think to say. But his hand gravitation towards Tony’s and they laced their fingers together, before stepping out into the sun.


End file.
